Visakhapatnam Airport Ends Commercial Operations as Bhogapuram Airport Opens
· India · The Hindu, LiveMint, Indian Express
Visakhapatnam airport concluded its final day of commercial operations on Sunday, August 16, 2026, with the departure of an IndiGo flight to New Delhi. Effective 12:01 a.m. on Monday, all scheduled commercial airline services have transitioned to the newly commissioned Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram. The IATA code VTZ has been officially transferred to the new facility. While commercial flights have moved, INS Dega will continue to host naval operations and non-scheduled civil flights. The transition follows a 30-year agreement established in 2016 to address capacity constraints at the naval airfield.
Why it matters
The shift to the new greenfield airport removes the long-standing movement restrictions imposed by the Indian Navy, allowing for expanded flight capacity and infrastructure growth in the region.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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